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[CLOSED] - SINGLE CHAPTER - The Harry Potter Book Club! Your Notes for Chapter 31 of The Order of the Phoenix! (Patreon)

Published:
2026-10-09 15:57:03
Edited:
2026-11-04 14:53:14
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Content

This part of the book review is now complete! Thank you for taking part and see you next time!!

Oof-Tee-Poof, everyone!! 👋

Here is a chance to get your comment read out in the next Book review video!

If you are reading along with the reviews, we are covering chapter "O.W.L.s"! So if you have any thoughts, opinions, comparisons or questions regarding these, please leave a comment below!

I do have to ask, try to keep them fairly short, like 4 or 5 sentences. That way I can cover more when making the video. Also try to keep them on subject and not referencing anything that we are yet to cover. Ideally, keep it to 1 comment each if you can (if you have more to say after commenting, you can edit it and add to it! :) ). These are just rough guidelines rather than rules, I want to be able to fit in as many of you as possible! :)

NEW FEATURE!! - As some of you may want to make a comment, but not have it replied to by others, you can now Message me your thoughts on the chapters by DM'ing me on here. If you do, please follow all the above rules, especially avoiding mentioning things in future chapters or books! Oh and please start your DM message with "Book Club -"!

To anyone that does reply to comments below, please make sure you are being friendly and respectful! A lot of tone and meaning can be lost in text, after all! If you disagree with someone on something, keep it polite and remember the golden rule in life - Sometimes you have to just agree to disagree! :)

Thanks, guys!! :)

Files

Comments

Sunblooded (edited)

Comment edits

2026-10-15 23:00 -comment here-
2026-10-19 20:00 Hey Woozle!! (And I guess veggie too) This chapter deffinately reminds me of my GSCE year, pretty nostalgic (even though that was only 5 years ago) And the reference back to philosophers stone was brilliant I hope that giant rat and the mutated mushroom plate make it into the show when we get to order of the pheonix, that’ll be a good laugh I’d PAY to see that niffler attacking umbitch, really hope we get to see that Wow I completely forgot about the attack on hagrid and Mcgonagal, thought that happened in half blood prince, how that didn’t make it into the film I have no idea, they were planning to split the films into pt 1 and 2 (like they did for hallows) from goblet onwards, and re-reading the books i deffinately think they should have (especially order of the phoenix and onwards cus pheonix is the longest book by far (if you look up a photo of the box set you’ll see what I mean) Deffinately agree with Ron about feeding umbitch to some skewetts The ending too, i remember reading that for the first time and how I couldn’t stop myself from reading the next chapter, I stayed up late (i would have been 11 or 12 when my parents let me read order of the pheonix, and then the rest of the books, cus of how much darker and more complicated they were than the first 4) and just finished the rest of the book in one go (and got in a lot trouble with my parents for it the next day ) Also there’s a behind the scenes documentary on YouTube that you might find interesting to check out, if you want I can re-watch it for spoilers and send the link And sorry about the length I just had a lot to say this chapter
2026-11-02 07:00 Hey Woozle!! (And I guess veggie too) This chapter deffinately reminds me of my GSCE year, pretty nostalgic (even though that was only 5 years ago) And the reference back to philosophers stone was brilliant I hope that giant rat and the mutated mushroom plate make it into the show when we get to order of the pheonix, that’ll be a good laugh I’d PAY to see that niffler attacking umbitch, really hope we get to see that Wow I completely forgot about the attack on hagrid and Mcgonagal, thought that happened in half blood prince, how that didn’t make it into the film I have no idea, they were planning to split the films into pt 1 and 2 (like they did for hallows) from goblet onwards, and re-reading the books i deffinately think they should have (especially order of the phoenix and onwards cus pheonix is the longest book by far (if you look up a photo of the box set you’ll see what I mean) Deffinately agree with Ron about feeding umbitch to some skewetts The ending too, i remember reading that for the first time and how I couldn’t stop myself from reading the next chapter, I stayed up late (i would have been 11 or 12 when my parents let me read order of the pheonix, and then the rest of the books, cus of how much darker and more complicated they were than the first 4) and just finished the rest of the book in one go (and got in a lot trouble with my parents for it the next day ) Also there’s a behind the scenes documentary for the films on YouTube that you might find interesting to check out, if you want I can re-watch it for spoilers and send the link And sorry about the length I just had a lot to say this chapter
2026-10-09 15:57 Hey Woozle!! (And I guess veggie too) This chapter deffinately reminds me of my GSCE year, pretty nostalgic (even though that was only 5 years ago) And the references back to the previous books during the exams were brilliant I hope that giant rat and the mutated mushroom plate make it into the show when we get to order of the pheonix, that’ll be a good laugh I’d PAY to see that niffler attacking umbitch, really hope we get to see that Wow I completely forgot about the attack on hagrid and Mcgonagal, thought that happened in half blood prince, how that didn’t make it into the film I have no idea, they were planning to split the films into pt 1 and 2 (like they did for hallows) from goblet onwards, and re-reading the books i deffinately think they should have (especially order of the phoenix and onwards cus pheonix is the longest book by far (if you look up a photo of the box set you’ll see what I mean) Deffinately agree with Ron about feeding umbitch to some skewetts The ending too, i remember reading that for the first time and how I couldn’t stop myself from reading the next chapter, I stayed up late (i would have been 11 or 12 when my parents let me read order of the pheonix, and then the rest of the books, cus of how much darker and more complicated they were than the first 4) and just finished the rest of the book in one go (and got in a lot trouble with my parents for it the next day ) Also there’s a behind the scenes documentary for the films on YouTube that you might find interesting to check out, if you want I can re-watch it for spoilers and send the link And sorry about the length I just had a lot to say this chapter

Hey Woozle!! (And I guess veggie too) This chapter deffinately reminds me of my GSCE year, pretty nostalgic (even though that was only 5 years ago) And the references back to the previous books during the exams were brilliant I hope that giant rat and the mutated mushroom plate make it into the show when we get to order of the pheonix, that’ll be a good laugh I’d PAY to see that niffler attacking umbitch, really hope we get to see that Wow I completely forgot about the attack on hagrid and Mcgonagal, thought that happened in half blood prince, how that didn’t make it into the film I have no idea, they were planning to split the films into pt 1 and 2 (like they did for hallows) from goblet onwards, and re-reading the books i deffinately think they should have (especially order of the phoenix and onwards cus pheonix is the longest book by far (if you look up a photo of the box set you’ll see what I mean) Deffinately agree with Ron about feeding umbitch to some skewetts The ending too, i remember reading that for the first time and how I couldn’t stop myself from reading the next chapter, I stayed up late (i would have been 11 or 12 when my parents let me read order of the pheonix, and then the rest of the books, cus of how much darker and more complicated they were than the first 4) and just finished the rest of the book in one go (and got in a lot trouble with my parents for it the next day ) Also there’s a behind the scenes documentary for the films on YouTube that you might find interesting to check out, if you want I can re-watch it for spoilers and send the link And sorry about the length I just had a lot to say this chapter

Badger Kat

Greetings, Veggie and Woozle! Ch 31 - I love the list of things that can apparently be used to cheat on exams, even if I do think a remembrall wouldn’t be much help. Self correcting ink would come in very handy, even if people hardly write anything anymore. It makes me wonder how magic could be integrated with computers these days, if you could even get electronics to work around magic. - Were they trying to arrest Hagrid or just fire him? Ron mentions Azkaban and it was a group of aurors that came. Would the charge be putting nifflers in her office? Thank you for all your hard work, and remember to take care of yourself and Woozle!

Howiedoing (edited)

Comment edits

2026-10-15 23:00 Hi Veggie somehow your Rams beat my Eagles. 😭 This might be a bit of a rare or hot take because I don’t see people talking about it too much, but the Ministry's attack on Professor McGonagall and Hagrid is one of the biggest and most frustrating omissions from the books. The sequence perfectly exposes just how sick, twisted, and malicious Dolores Umbridge and her Ministry lackeys truly are. Ambushing Hagrid at midnight to force him out was already despicable, but launching four simultaneous Stunning Spells directly at an unarmed McGonagall—an act that was practically lethal given her age—was pure cowardice. It proves that Umbridge wasn't just a cruel bureaucrat; she and the Ministry were violent, dangerous tyrants who would gladly use lethal force against anyone standing in their way. Leaving this out of the movie completely diluted the high stakes and stripped away a pivotal moment of true horror.
2026-10-17 08:00 Hi Veggie somehow your Rams beat my Eagles. 😭 This might be a bit of a rare or hot take because I don’t see people talking about it too much, but the Ministry's attack on Professor McGonagall and Hagrid is one off the biggest and most frustrating omissions from the books. The sequence perfectly exposes just how sick, twisted, and malicious Dolores Umbridge and her Ministry lackeys truly are. Ambushing Hagrid at midnight to force him out was already despicable, but launching four simultaneous Stunning Spells directly at an unarmed McGonagall an act that was practically lethal given her age was pure cowardice. It proves that Umbridge wasn't just a cruel bureaucrat; she and the Ministry were violent, dangerous tyrants who would easily use force against anyone standing in their way. Leaving this out of the movie completely diluted the high stakes and stripped away a pivotal moment of true horror. PS After listening to the whole last book club, as an American, I had no idea what punting meant! I honestly assumed that Filch was somehow kicking students across the swamp, lol. I finally learned what it actually means, because that part was always so confusing to me. PS I got a few comments saying that they find a lot of things she did worse than that, which yeah, there definitely is and I totally agree. But that’s what’s so compelling about this character. She is a frustrating person, but she's a great villain because she does so many horrible things that there is this huge amount of discrepancy over which ones are the worst. Longer comment than normal for me I just had a lot to say on this one.
2026-10-31 03:00 Hi Veggie somehow your Rams beat my Eagles. 😭 This might be a bit of a rare or hot take because I don’t see people talking about it too much, but the Ministry's attack on Professor McGonagall and Hagrid is one off the biggest and most frustrating omissions from the books. The sequence perfectly exposes just how sick, twisted, and malicious Dolores Umbridge and her Ministry lackeys truly are. Ambushing Hagrid at midnight to force him out was already despicable, but launching four simultaneous Stunning Spells directly at an unarmed McGonagall an act that was practically lethal given her age was pure cowardice. It proves that Umbridge wasn't just a cruel bureaucrat; she and the Ministry were violent, dangerous tyrants who would easily use force against anyone standing in their way. Leaving this out of the movie completely diluted the high stakes and stripped away a pivotal moment of true horror. PS After listening to the whole last book club, as an American, I had no idea what punting meant! I honestly assumed that Filch was somehow kicking students across the swamp, lol. I finally learned what it actually means, because that part was always so confusing to me. Also I think your point in the last book club about Hagrid is spot on, as a very blunt person I’m not afraid to tell my friends what they need to hear. They are always gonna like it but I think it’s way better in the long run. PS I got a few comments saying that they find a lot of things she did worse than that, which yeah, there definitely is and I totally agree. But that’s what’s so compelling about this character. She is a frustrating person, but she's a great villain because she does so many horrible things that there is this huge amount of discrepancy over which ones are the worst. I always try to keep my comments short longer than usual but it’s important chapter to me.
2026-10-09 16:02 Hi Veggie, This might be a bit of a rare or hot take because I don’t see people talking about it too much, but the Ministry's attack on Professor McGonagall and Hagrid is one off the biggest and most frustrating omissions from the books. The sequence perfectly exposes just how sick, twisted, and malicious Dolores Umbridge and her Ministry lackeys truly are. Ambushing Hagrid at midnight to force him out was already despicable, but launching four simultaneous Stunning Spells directly at an unarmed McGonagall an act that was practically lethal given her age was pure cowardice. It proves that Umbridge wasn't just a cruel bureaucrat; she and the Ministry were violent, dangerous tyrants who would easily use force against anyone standing in their way. Leaving this out of the movie completely diluted the high stakes and stripped away a pivotal moment of true horror. PS After listening to the whole last book club, as an American, I had no idea what punting meant! I honestly assumed that Filch was somehow kicking students across the swamp, lol. I finally learned what it actually means, because that part was always so confusing to me. Also I think your point in the last book club about Hagrid is spot on, as a very blunt person I’m not afraid to tell my friends what they need to hear. They are always gonna like it but I think it’s way better in the long run. PS I got a few comments saying that they find a lot of things she did worse than that, which yeah, there definitely is and I totally agree. But that’s what’s so compelling about this character. She is a frustrating person, but she's a great villain because she does so many horrible things that there is this huge amount of discrepancy over which ones are the worst. I always try to keep my comments short longer than usual but it’s important chapter to me.

Hi Veggie, This might be a bit of a rare or hot take because I don’t see people talking about it too much, but the Ministry's attack on Professor McGonagall and Hagrid is one off the biggest and most frustrating omissions from the books. The sequence perfectly exposes just how sick, twisted, and malicious Dolores Umbridge and her Ministry lackeys truly are. Ambushing Hagrid at midnight to force him out was already despicable, but launching four simultaneous Stunning Spells directly at an unarmed McGonagall an act that was practically lethal given her age was pure cowardice. It proves that Umbridge wasn't just a cruel bureaucrat; she and the Ministry were violent, dangerous tyrants who would easily use force against anyone standing in their way. Leaving this out of the movie completely diluted the high stakes and stripped away a pivotal moment of true horror. PS After listening to the whole last book club, as an American, I had no idea what punting meant! I honestly assumed that Filch was somehow kicking students across the swamp, lol. I finally learned what it actually means, because that part was always so confusing to me. Also I think your point in the last book club about Hagrid is spot on, as a very blunt person I’m not afraid to tell my friends what they need to hear. They are always gonna like it but I think it’s way better in the long run. PS I got a few comments saying that they find a lot of things she did worse than that, which yeah, there definitely is and I totally agree. But that’s what’s so compelling about this character. She is a frustrating person, but she's a great villain because she does so many horrible things that there is this huge amount of discrepancy over which ones are the worst. I always try to keep my comments short longer than usual but it’s important chapter to me.

Jake M (edited)

Comment edits

2026-10-11 18:00 S'mae Voozleggie! Lots of silly little observations from me this time: Hermione is still laying out elf clothes, despite having seen Dobby run into the Room of Requirement wearing all her hats... Is she willfully turning a blind eye to this and persisting anyway, or genuinely delusional? How does Ernie have enough time in the day to revise 8 or 9 hours, plus lessons? Does he have a time turner of his own? Is he a vampire who never sleeps? Quality over quantity, Ernie! Marchbanks examined Dumbledore during NEWTs... Just how old is she!? Maybe Flamel shared some of his elixir with her... They don't specify what the colour change incantation is for turning a rat orange, although we all know what it is for turning stupid fat rats yellow! XD Lastly, the author shows her ignorance once again, this time in astronomy - the things Harry sees in the night sky would be completely impossible this time of year- for example, Orion is a winter constellation that would be behind the sun! Magical shenanigans, perhaps? Hope you had a wonderful birthday- see you next month! Hope you had a wonderful birthday- see you next month!
2026-10-12 18:00 S'mae Voozleggie! Lots of silly little observations from me this time: Hermione is still laying out elf clothes, despite having seen Dobby run into the Room of Requirement wearing all her hats... Is she willfully turning a blind eye to this and persisting anyway, or genuinely delusional? How does Ernie have enough time in the day to revise 8 or 9 hours, plus lessons? Does he have a time turner of his own? Is he a vampire who never sleeps? Quality over quantity, Ernie! Do you think Umbitch genuinely believes Hagrid is behind the nifflers, or just using it as an excuse? Marchbanks examined Dumbledore during NEWTs... Just how old is she!? Maybe Flamel shared some of his elixir with her... They don't specify what the colour change incantation is for turning a rat orange, although we all know what it is for turning stupid fat rats yellow! XD Lastly, the author shows her ignorance once again, this time in astronomy - the things Harry sees in the night sky would be completely impossible this time of year- for example, Orion is a winter constellation that would be behind the sun! Magical shenanigans, perhaps? Hope you had a wonderful birthday- see you next month! Hope you had a wonderful birthday- see you next month!
2026-10-25 00:00 S'mae Voozleggie! Lots of silly little observations from me this time: - Hermione is still laying out elf clothes, despite having seen Dobby run into the Room of Requirement wearing all her hats... Is she willfully turning a blind eye to this and persisting anyway, or genuinely delusional? - How does Ernie have enough time in the day to revise 8 or 9 hours, plus lessons? Does he have a time turner of his own? Is he a vampire who never sleeps? Quality over quantity, Ernie! - Do you think Umbitch genuinely believes Hagrid is behind the nifflers, or just using it as an excuse? - Marchbanks examined Dumbledore during NEWTs... Just how old is she!? Maybe Flamel shared some of his elixir with her... - They don't specify what the colour change incantation is for turning a rat orange, although we all know what it is for turning stupid fat rats yellow! XD - Lastly, the author shows her ignorance once again, this time in astronomy - the things Harry sees in the night sky would be completely impossible this time of year- for example, Orion is a winter constellation that would be behind the sun! Magical shenanigans, perhaps? Hope you had a wonderful birthday- see you next month! Hope you had a wonderful birthday- see you next month!
2026-10-09 16:05 S'mae Voozleggie! Lots of silly little observations from me this time: - Hermione is still laying out elf clothes, despite having seen Dobby run into the Room of Requirement wearing all her hats... Is she willfully turning a blind eye to this and persisting anyway, or genuinely delusional? - How does Ernie have enough time in the day to revise 8 or 9 hours, plus lessons? Does he have a time turner of his own? Is he a vampire who never sleeps? Quality over quantity, Ernie! - Do you think Umbitch genuinely believes Hagrid is behind the nifflers, or just using it as an excuse? - Marchbanks examined Dumbledore during NEWTs... Just how old is she!? Maybe Flamel shared some of his elixir with her... - They don't specify what the colour change incantation is for turning a rat orange, although we all know what it is for turning stupid fat rats yellow! XD - Lastly, the author shows her ignorance once again, this time in astronomy - the things Harry sees in the night sky would be completely impossible this time of year- for example, Orion is a winter constellation that would be behind the sun! Magical shenanigans, perhaps? Wishing McGonnagall a speedy recovery! Hope you had a wonderful birthday- see you next month!

S'mae Voozleggie! Lots of silly little observations from me this time: - Hermione is still laying out elf clothes, despite having seen Dobby run into the Room of Requirement wearing all her hats... Is she willfully turning a blind eye to this and persisting anyway, or genuinely delusional? - How does Ernie have enough time in the day to revise 8 or 9 hours, plus lessons? Does he have a time turner of his own? Is he a vampire who never sleeps? Quality over quantity, Ernie! - Do you think Umbitch genuinely believes Hagrid is behind the nifflers, or just using it as an excuse? - Marchbanks examined Dumbledore during NEWTs... Just how old is she!? Maybe Flamel shared some of his elixir with her... - They don't specify what the colour change incantation is for turning a rat orange, although we all know what it is for turning stupid fat rats yellow! XD - Lastly, the author shows her ignorance once again, this time in astronomy - the things Harry sees in the night sky would be completely impossible this time of year- for example, Orion is a winter constellation that would be behind the sun! Magical shenanigans, perhaps? Wishing McGonnagall a speedy recovery! Hope you had a wonderful birthday- see you next month!

Alias93

Hi Veggie! I’m curious, when listening to the previous chapter did you assume that Ron realized Harry and Hermione were gone during the match? Him saying ‘‘We did it! We won!’’ to Harry and Hermione is obviously meant to be the final confirmation for the reader, it’s not really the kind of thing you’d say to someone who you assumed watched the match… The scene where Umbridge and the ministry wizards attack Hagrid and McGonagall was brutal, it really shows how the ministry doesn’t care about respecting the law even in front of witnesses (surely Umbridge must have known there would be students taking their exam at the top of the tower at this time?). You were wondering why Ron would attack Grawp with a stick and not his wand in the movie, but as we see here with Hagrid, Ron would know that magic would be useless against a giant. Not that a stick would do much either… Once again, Harry does pretty well at potions when Snape isn’t around, what grade do you think he’s getting?

Jake M

Hopefully you actually get it in this time 🫣

Alex Hopps (edited)

Comment edits

2026-10-12 18:00 Hi veggie. Here we see for the first time how powerful hagrid is. He has always had a feeling of being a formidable figure but his sweet nature stops him from being intimidating. But now we see how unstoppable he is when attacked by multiple full grown wizards. Imagine if he had a wand and a complete education. I absolutely stand by him lashing out violently when fang was attacked. And poor mcgonagal being attacked gets me every time. Worst exam ever, They really should get to redo it as it wasnt a written exam
2026-10-29 14:00 Hi veggie. Here we see for the first time how powerful hagrid is. He has always had a feeling of being a formidable figure but his sweet nature stops him from being intimidating. But now we see how unstoppable he is when attacked by multiple full grown ministry wizards. Imagine if he had a wand and a complete education. I absolutely stand by him lashing out violently when fang was attacked. And poor mcgonagal being attacked gets me every time. Were getting into some of worst stuff in the series for me now. Ill probably have too stay away for a few months
2026-10-09 16:06 Hi veggie. Here we see for the first time how powerful hagrid is. He has always had a feeling of being a formidable figure but his sweet nature stops him from being intimidating. But now we see how unstoppable he is when attacked by multiple full grown ministry wizards. Imagine if he had a wand and a complete education. I absolutely stand by him lashing out violently when fang was attacked. And poor mcgonagal being attacked gets me every time. I really struggle with some of whats coming up soon so I'll either stay away for a bit or end up on some epic rants

Hi veggie. Here we see for the first time how powerful hagrid is. He has always had a feeling of being a formidable figure but his sweet nature stops him from being intimidating. But now we see how unstoppable he is when attacked by multiple full grown ministry wizards. Imagine if he had a wand and a complete education. I absolutely stand by him lashing out violently when fang was attacked. And poor mcgonagal being attacked gets me every time. I really struggle with some of whats coming up soon so I'll either stay away for a bit or end up on some epic rants

Sunblooded

Yeah hopefully 😭 I updated it last time but must have just missed it

Heather Judge

Hi Veggie! Hurrah for Botley road! At Oxford you have to move everything in and out every 8 weeks, so this will make term times much easier! I think it's great we get a full walk through of all the exams, many books would chose to skip over them. Maybe Hermione's attitude to the black market goods for exams is shaped by her life in the muggle world and the talismans muggles use to bring them luck - I wonder if any of the people throughout muggle history pedaling them were actually witches and wizards! Marchbanks must be ancient! I wonder if magical people have elongated live spans. I think it's pretty unfair to give students different animals for exams, I'm pretty sure in the first book it's mentioned different sizes/types of animals vary in difficulty. As much as Tofty seems biased in Harry's favour, it is still quite bad that there seems to be favouritism.

Heather Judge

Yeah the films definitely gloss over a lot of the systematic issues in the wizarding world!

Alex Hopps

Ahh i was supposed to mention that. Im glad you bought it up. I think i said it in a comment. There was a lot of talk about poking with sticks. But they are so tough. Spells bounce off. There's very little a stick can do

Badger Kat

You have to move out and back in every 8 weeks? That sounds exhausting!

Alex Hopps

I agree its ridiculous they didnt include it. Although i dont love the idea of seeing a dog attacked. Its so disgusting what the did to minerva. Whats worse is that its hardly makes my top 3 worst umbridge moments.

Alex Hopps

If you message him im sure he'll read it out, or just include both chapters in this one

Sten4321

Hi Veggie Hope you are well! Hagrid really is strong, hopefully McGonagall will be alright. Once more Harry feels like he does decently at potions when snape isn't there and that he might even pass, but since he has never gotten a "fair" grade on his work he don't really have a frame of reference I love how to book goes over the different exams, how well do you think the trio does in the subjects? Maybe try writing down the grade you think they each will get in each subject, to see how well your predictions will be?

Alexandra

Hi Veggie and Woozle! I love the comparison between Ron and James and their ego with Quidditch, it’s such a typical teenage boy thing. I think Harry and Neville are such interesting parallels, with both of them constantly compared to their parents but Harry is usually told he reminds people of his parents where Neville is constantly told he’s nothing like his parents and disappointing in comparison. Lastly, Voldemort makes a dog pun and tells Sirius to “fetch it” and I always find it a little funny. Hope you had a good month!

Howiedoing

Yeah I mean and that’s why she’s a great villain because I think this is one of the worst things she’s done but you can argue many things are worse

Alex Hopps

Its certainly up there. She was never gonna take down hagrid though. I think the attempted torture of a child is more evil but the worst for me is in book 7 during the trials

Howiedoing

Oh yeah you’re 1000% right that torturing a child is worse I think it’s one of the worst things she’s ever done

Noni

Hi Veggie I feel so sorry for Neville, no wonder he has no confidence when he keeps being told he’s not good enough. Do you think the timing of firing Hagrid was coincidence or did Umbridge want Harry to watch his friend being kicked out? And for that fact were they just firing him or trying to arrest him and what for? And poor McGonagall. I’m with Hagrid, they’re all cowards, they needed 6 of them to fire Hagrid and then attacking without warning.

Sten4321

also sending dementors after harry at the very the start of the book.

Diego Zenhäusern

WFFTITWFF Veggie! I always love that we get to see a bit of all the different exams that the students have to take. Which exam did you find to be the most interesting? Also: Professor Marchbanks: “Dumbledore did things with a wand I’d never seen before . . ." I...I don't want to know Marchbanks...😶

Josh Z

This chapter perfectly illustrates why Ron was spooked when he learned Hagrid was half-giant in GOF; he could literally incapacitate a regular human at any time if he wanted to. Also, four Stunning spells on Minerva is a truly brutal blindside magical attack. I genuinely forget how violent this book is overall.

S1lm4r1l

I always assumed Ernie's 8-9 hours a day included lessons, which are almost entirely devoted to revision. Otherwise, that's genuinely insane behaviour.

S1lm4r1l

"Poking sticks at things" is kinda the MO of the wizarding world if we're being honest.

Florian

Hi Veggie, What do you thinks about the bit of the exams we get? I thought it was a bit silly asking for the incantation of a first year spell.

S1lm4r1l (edited)

Comment edits

2026-10-21 12:00 Hi Noodle and their human! I just want to complain (yet again) about Snape and the Occlumency lessons. Umbridge replaces Dumbledore as Head of Hogwarts towards the end of April. "Snape's Worst Memory" takes place a week or so later. We're now in June and neither Harry nor Snape have restarted these lessons. Its bad from the both of them, but I think its particularly egregious from Snape. He's supposed to be the adult in the room, a teacher, and he knows more than Harry does. I can appreciate Snape being pissed off at Harry for violating his privacy in the heat of the moment, but we're now 4 weeks on from that. Snape is still recklessly, willingly endangering Harry because his feelings got hurt. It is an odd symmetry that Hagrid and Snape are both putting Harry's life in danger for selfish reasons. Apologies for revisiting the topic, but I think this is something that doesn't get enough attention. Did Lupin/Sirius/Dumbledore tell Snape to resume the Occlumency lessons? Moody warned the children about putting things in writing at the start of the year. With the number of wizarding products made with bits of dragon, heartstrings for wands, claws for brain-simulation, dung for fertiliser, hide for clothing, liver and meat for potions/medicine. Dragon blood has 12 different uses! Dragon-breeding is illegal and dragon eggs are a controlled substance. But do you think dragons are farmed? (Sorry, rather unkind question to ask a Veggie.) When you study for exams, which character are you most like?
2026-10-10 15:38 Hi Noodle and their human! Hope you enjoyed your birthday! I just want to complain (yet again) about Snape and the Occlumency lessons. Umbridge replaces Dumbledore as Head of Hogwarts towards the end of April. "Snape's Worst Memory" takes place a week or so later. We're now in June and neither Harry nor Snape have restarted these lessons. Its bad from the both of them, but I think its particularly egregious from Snape. He's supposed to be the adult in the room, a teacher, and he knows more than Harry does. I can appreciate Snape being pissed off at Harry for violating his privacy in the heat of the moment, but we're now 4 weeks on from that. Snape is still recklessly, willingly endangering Harry because his feelings got hurt. It is an odd symmetry that Hagrid and Snape are both putting Harry's life in danger for selfish reasons. Apologies for revisiting the topic, but I think this is something that doesn't get enough attention. Did Lupin/Sirius/Dumbledore tell Snape to resume the Occlumency lessons? Moody warned the children about putting things in writing at the start of the year. With the number of wizarding products made with bits of dragon, heartstrings for wands, claws for brain-simulation, dung for fertiliser, hide for clothing, liver and meat for potions/medicine. Dragon blood has 12 different uses! Dragon-breeding is illegal and dragon eggs are a controlled substance. But do you think dragons are farmed? (Sorry, rather unkind question to ask a Veggie.) When you study for exams, which character are you most like?

Hi Noodle and their human! Hope you enjoyed your birthday! I just want to complain (yet again) about Snape and the Occlumency lessons. Umbridge replaces Dumbledore as Head of Hogwarts towards the end of April. "Snape's Worst Memory" takes place a week or so later. We're now in June and neither Harry nor Snape have restarted these lessons. Its bad from the both of them, but I think its particularly egregious from Snape. He's supposed to be the adult in the room, a teacher, and he knows more than Harry does. I can appreciate Snape being pissed off at Harry for violating his privacy in the heat of the moment, but we're now 4 weeks on from that. Snape is still recklessly, willingly endangering Harry because his feelings got hurt. It is an odd symmetry that Hagrid and Snape are both putting Harry's life in danger for selfish reasons. Apologies for revisiting the topic, but I think this is something that doesn't get enough attention. Did Lupin/Sirius/Dumbledore tell Snape to resume the Occlumency lessons? Moody warned the children about putting things in writing at the start of the year. With the number of wizarding products made with bits of dragon, heartstrings for wands, claws for brain-simulation, dung for fertiliser, hide for clothing, liver and meat for potions/medicine. Dragon blood has 12 different uses! Dragon-breeding is illegal and dragon eggs are a controlled substance. But do you think dragons are farmed? (Sorry, rather unkind question to ask a Veggie.) When you study for exams, which character are you most like?

Garfnob (edited)

Comment edits

2026-10-15 23:00 Greetings, Chapter – 31 (a lot happens but not much to comment on in my opinion.) - Gryffindor does not always win everything. This is the first time in the books they win the quidditch cup. They keep winning the house cup at the end of the year, but that is a different thing. - it could not have been the Hermione factor. Rom did not know she was not there. - Neville’s gran is not a very nice person. - Everyone should fail the O.W.L.S. on purpose. I am sure you can retake them. Especially if the whole class fails. That has to be an anomaly worthy of a special exemption. - The grounds must be much smaller then I always imagined if they can see Hagrid’s hut that clearly.
2026-10-24 18:00 Greetings, Chapter – 31 (a lot happens but not much to comment on in my opinion.) - Gryffindor does not always win everything. This is only the second time in the books they win the quidditch cup. They keep winning the house cup at the end of the year, but that is a different thing. - it could not have been the Hermione factor. Rom did not know she was not there. - Neville’s gran is not a very nice person. - Everyone should fail the O.W.L.S. on purpose. I am sure you can retake them. Especially if the whole class fails. That has to be an anomaly worthy of a special exemption. - The grounds must be much smaller then I always imagined if they can see Hagrid’s hut that clearly.
2026-10-11 01:26 Greetings, and Happy Birthday. Chapter – 31 (a lot happens but not much to comment on in my opinion.) - Gryffindor does not always win everything. This is only the second time in the books they win the quidditch cup. They keep winning the house cup at the end of the year, but that is a different thing. - it could not have been the Hermione factor. Rom did not know she was not there. - Neville’s gran is not a very nice person. - Everyone should fail the O.W.L.S. on purpose. I am sure you can retake them. Especially if the whole class fails. That has to be an anomaly worthy of a special exemption. - The grounds must be much smaller then I always imagined if they can see Hagrid’s hut that clearly.

Greetings, and Happy Birthday. Chapter – 31 (a lot happens but not much to comment on in my opinion.) - Gryffindor does not always win everything. This is only the second time in the books they win the quidditch cup. They keep winning the house cup at the end of the year, but that is a different thing. - it could not have been the Hermione factor. Rom did not know she was not there. - Neville’s gran is not a very nice person. - Everyone should fail the O.W.L.S. on purpose. I am sure you can retake them. Especially if the whole class fails. That has to be an anomaly worthy of a special exemption. - The grounds must be much smaller then I always imagined if they can see Hagrid’s hut that clearly.

jolt45

Hey Veggie and Woozle! We don't learn any details behind Gryffindor winning the Quidditch Cup because even the author doesn't know. I'm not a Hufflepuff, but in my version Hufflepuff deserves the cup this year for also winning 2 matches; including their match against Gryffindor. I may have been mistaken a few chapters ago when I pointed out there were roughly one hundred 5th years taking their OWLs with James and Snape in "Snape's Worst Memory". Based on the text in this chapter, the 5th and 7th years sit for their exams together so half the students in the hall in Snape's memory are probably 7th years. This would mean ~50 students per year, which is still more than Harry's but much closer than I suggested in that book club.

S1lm4r1l

There are hints that the Wizarding world is undergoing something of a population crisis. We know for instance that there are fewer and fewer pure bloods and pure blood families left because Borgin complains about it to Lucius Malfoy. We know that the 1st Wizarding War saw hundreds of deaths, incarcerations and incapacitations. We know that the Wizarding economy seems to be in turmoil with prices in constant flux. (JKR's inconsistency about prices.) The Ministry of Magic is struggling with demands for better pay and working conditions. Magical Maintenance ensuring months of Hurricanes when they wanted a pay rise. We know that the value of labour increases after plagues and disasters. Percy was able to get a job immediately after graduating. Indeed the only adults who don't work are those who choose not to or people like Lupin, whose medical condition and the stigma surrounding it make this difficult. The sheer number of wizards who rely on their old family fortunes, instead of working seems quite shocking.

Badger Kat

I think they win the quidditch cup in Harry’s third year, Oliver Wood’s last year, don’t they?

jolt45

Yes, in the book club for "Snape's Worst Memory" I pointed out that there were "maybe one hundred" students sitting for exams in Snape's memory but this chapter makes it clear that it was probably both 5th and 7th years. This means even back then there were maybe 50 per grade level. There are apparently only 8 Gryffindors in Harry's year which means there are probably 30-40 in his year (Philosopher's Stone isn't explicit). A 20-30% decline is much smaller than the 60-70% decline, I thought it was, but it is interesting nonetheless.

Alias93

Tbh I always interpreted the economy of the wizarding world to be written in a purely vibes based way, the amounts given are whatever number the author thought would be appropriate in that moment, and it's not meant to be consistent from one moment to the next. That's how I feel about quidditch too, the rules and what happens in each match are just what is needed for the story. Gryffindor wins because we needed a positive end to the quidditch subplot in this book after the disasters of Harry, Fred and George being banned and Ron's poor keeper abilities, which fits with the "good guys" starting to overcome the bad things put in place by Umbridge throughout the book. But of course it had to happen off screen because we can't have Gryffindor winning without it being Harry's fault /s.

jolt45

Do we need to end Quidditch that way in this book though? Why can't we have Gryffindor win the last match, Ron regains his confidence, and Hufflepuff still win the cup because of the issues Gryffindor had earlier in the book? There are many sports stories that end this way. If you're going to define the rules for something, I think you should follow them. Its just frustrating to read Quidditch chapters and not know which rules do/don't count this time.

Alias93

I'm pretty sure the rules are 1. the team with the highest number of wins and 2. in case of a tie, the number of points scored (or probably the difference between points scored and conceded), that's how it was explained in PoA. But since we had already done the "we need to win by this many points to get the cup" in PoA, and since we weren't going to see this match anyway, the author didn't bother writing these details in this book. As for why Gryffindor needed to win, it could have been a bigger thread continuing in the next book but it feels like the author didn't really plan what she was going to do with quidditch for more than one book at a time. Otherwise we probably wouldn't have ended up with pretty much the same scenario in the next one, with Gryffindor winning against Slytherin, losing to Hufflepuff and then winning the cup off screen.

Garfnob

Oliver Wood stated they had never work do to circumstances out of there control, and it was his last year to hold the cup. in Prisoner of Azkaban, chapter 8, neat the beginning, after taking about the classes. "Gryffindor haven’t won for seven years now. OK, so we’ve had the worst luck in the world — injuries — then the tournament getting called off last year..."

Alex Hopps

For me her worst moment was book 7 where shes threatening mary cattermole with the dementors kiss if she didn't admit to stealing her wand

Howiedoing

That’s very very valid I wasn’t really thinking about beyond this book

S1lm4r1l

That was prior to them winning that year.

Alex Hopps

Its just something that really stuck out to me on the last reread. But it says alot that theres quite so many truly evil moments to pick from

Sunblooded

And the fact Harry’s year were the last year born during/ just after the war so people probably weren’t having as many kids, I’d imagine Ginny’s year and the years bellow that are a bit larger cus looking at statistics there’s often a baby boom after a big war and then would return to normal levels

Garfnob

"That was prior to them winning that year." - yep. i forgot they wan it that year. :(

jolt45

"1. the team with the highest number of wins and 2. in case of a tie, the number of points scored (or probably the difference between points scored and conceded), that's how it was explained in PoA." - That's not explicitly stated though, and it doesn't mesh well with this book. In particular, Ron's comment about needing Hufflepuff to beat Slytherin in the last chapter is irrelevant because no matter what, the winner has the same number of wins as Gryffindor. I stand by the idea that Quidditch needs some significant overhaul.

Bex

Hi Veggie and Woozle! This is my second comment ever, the first was after having my first baby, Charlie - I’ve since had my second baby, Freddie (you may notice a hint of the Weasley’s in their names 😅). Apologies in advance for going off topic but a couple of chapters ago you spoke of David Bradley (Filch actor), I actually worked with him on a movie called The Lodgers, it was set in the house I worked in at the time, Ireland’s most haunted house, Loftus Hall. Anyway, he was so lovely and he said that his most requested quote by fans is “you’ve got to have your wits about you” from Philosophers stone. He also kept forgetting his lines and said he’d no idea why people kept hiring an old man like him 😂

felipeluzz

Hi Veggie! This is the first time we've seen an Astronomy class, even though it's a core discipline that Harry has had since year 1. And even then, it's not really a "class," is it? Poor Professor Sinistra never had one line of dialogue in the entire series, strange for a teacher of a core class. I wonder if the author regrets having made them take Astronomy. Whenever I think about core events of Order of the Phoenix, McGonagall being attacked is always one of them. Which is why I find it so bizarre that it doesn't happen in the movie at all. In fact, I think McGonagall simply stops showing up in the movie after Trelawney gets fired? She is not even there in the background when I think she really should be, like when the twins escape. There is a promotional picture from the movie with McGonagall sitting on what could be a wheelchair, reading a newspaper that says "He Who Must Not Be Named Returns". I wonder if her being attacked was planned but scrapped for time, and that picture could be a scene at the end of the movie that got cut because it made no sense without her being attacked?

Alias93

What I meant is PoA clearly stated that points were a deciding factor, and it seems likely that if a team wins all three games then they would win the cup regardless of points. As for Ron's comment, I interpret it more as Hufflepuff winning against Slytherin would give Gryffindor a better chance at winning the cup since Hufflepuff only beat Gryffindor by 10 points, so they probably have a less favorable points difference going in the last match. If Slytherin had won Gryffindor could still technically win but would need to score a lot more points, making it very unlikely.

jolt45

That's a lot of mental gymnastics in my opinion.

Maria

Hi Veggie, I don't have much to add to what others have said, except that I love that Harry gets to show Umbridge up by doing the patronus charm during his exam. It's also great that the examiners ask about Dumbledore as soon as they arrive. Shows that it's not just the people at Hogwarts who have disdain for Umbridge.

skinnyp (edited)

Comment edits

2026-10-26 10:00 Hi Veggie! Good morning from London! Its interesting that Harry can now grin when Ron ruffles his hair like James used to do. It feels like Harry is slowly coming to terms with the fact that his father wasn’t the perfect person he always imagined. He can still admire certain things about James while acknowledging that he was also a cocky teenager. The O.W.L.s themselves were also quite interesting. I liked how Harry and Neville seemed to perform better in Potions without Snape watching them. It really shows how much his intimidating behavior affects his students. But at the same time, they must have learned something from his lessons to be able to perform well in the first place. So while Snape might be a terrible teacher when it comes to how he treats his students, he clearly still manages to teach them at least some of the material. I also thought Draco’s behavior during the exams was quite telling. He seems convinced that his father’s connections will somehow help him get better results. Considering how privileged his upbringing has been, it’s probably how he expects the world to work. But then Tofty recognizes Harry, Draco gets jealous and messes up his own exam. Quite funny that his jealousy about something that he expected for himself messed up his exam. Karma haha The attack on Hagrid was probably one of the most disturbing parts of the books so far. It really shows how far the Ministry is now willing to go to maintain its power. After losing Dumbledore, Fudge seems determined to tighten his control over Hogwarts even further. What started with interfering in education and discrediting Harry and Dumbledore has now escalated to Ministry officials physically attacking teachers. Crazy that the officials just “follow orders” I really love this chapter. Now the real great part of this book begins. The studio tour was amazing, I had a good time. Have a great day, until next time!
2026-10-24 10:21 Hi Veggie! Good morning from London! Its interesting that Harry can now grin when Ron ruffles his hair like James used to do. It feels like Harry is slowly coming to terms with the fact that his father wasn’t the perfect person he always imagined. He can still admire certain things about James while acknowledging that he was also a cocky teenager. The O.W.L.s themselves were also quite interesting. I liked how Harry and Neville seemed to perform better in Potions without Snape watching them. It really shows how much his intimidating behavior affects his students. But at the same time, they must have learned something from his lessons to be able to perform well in the first place. So while Snape might be a terrible teacher when it comes to how he treats his students, he clearly still manages to teach them at least some of the material. I also thought Draco’s behavior during the exams was quite telling. He seems convinced that his father’s connections will somehow help him get better results. Considering how privileged his upbringing has been, it’s probably how he expects the world to work. But then Tofty recognizes Harry, Draco gets jealous and messes up his own exam. Quite funny that his jealousy about something that he expected for himself messed up his exam. Karma haha The attack on Hagrid was probably one of the most disturbing parts of the books so far. It really shows how far the Ministry is now willing to go to maintain its power. After losing Dumbledore, Fudge seems determined to tighten his control over Hogwarts even further. What started with interfering in education and discrediting Harry and Dumbledore has now escalated to Ministry officials physically attacking teachers. Crazy that the officials just “follow orders” I really love this chapter. Now the real great part of this book begins. The studio tour was amazing, I had a good time, they did a lot of stuff with Halloween and it was “Dark Arts“ themed. Have a great day, until next time!

Hi Veggie! Good morning from London! Its interesting that Harry can now grin when Ron ruffles his hair like James used to do. It feels like Harry is slowly coming to terms with the fact that his father wasn’t the perfect person he always imagined. He can still admire certain things about James while acknowledging that he was also a cocky teenager. The O.W.L.s themselves were also quite interesting. I liked how Harry and Neville seemed to perform better in Potions without Snape watching them. It really shows how much his intimidating behavior affects his students. But at the same time, they must have learned something from his lessons to be able to perform well in the first place. So while Snape might be a terrible teacher when it comes to how he treats his students, he clearly still manages to teach them at least some of the material. I also thought Draco’s behavior during the exams was quite telling. He seems convinced that his father’s connections will somehow help him get better results. Considering how privileged his upbringing has been, it’s probably how he expects the world to work. But then Tofty recognizes Harry, Draco gets jealous and messes up his own exam. Quite funny that his jealousy about something that he expected for himself messed up his exam. Karma haha The attack on Hagrid was probably one of the most disturbing parts of the books so far. It really shows how far the Ministry is now willing to go to maintain its power. After losing Dumbledore, Fudge seems determined to tighten his control over Hogwarts even further. What started with interfering in education and discrediting Harry and Dumbledore has now escalated to Ministry officials physically attacking teachers. Crazy that the officials just “follow orders” I really love this chapter. Now the real great part of this book begins. The studio tour was amazing, I had a good time, they did a lot of stuff with Halloween and it was “Dark Arts“ themed. Have a great day, until next time!

S1lm4r1l

I'd consider editing out the bit about Harry not thinking of going to Snape. That's the chapter after. Chapter ends with Voldemort torturing Sirius.

skinnyp

Yeah you’re absolutely right, I edited it. Thank you!!

S1lm4r1l

Always a challenge remembering where each chapter stops. :P

Gugurupurasu Daikirai

Narratively speaking they might as well have. Rowling wrote it to be very Harry centric and predictable. Gryffindor only loses in the first book because they had a horrible loss in the game against Ravenclaw of course because Harry was in the hospital. In book two the Quidditch Cup was cancelled so no one won. They won in book three. In book four there was no Quidditch Cup because of the Triwizard tournament. As a fellow sports fan I get Veggie's frustration with Rowling's Quidditch writing

Gugurupurasu Daikirai (edited)

Comment edits

2026-10-27 16:00 Hi Veggie, Surprised I was able to get this in on time. Been volunteering to help turn Texas blue in the upcoming midterm elections. This might age very poorly after about a week from me typing this. Movie Ron: hurp durp I'm going to look dumb in front of Grawp and stumble and make silly faces. Book Ron: Winning Quidditch for Gryffindor while Harry and Hermione meet Grawp in what is the first example in the books of Gryffindor not narratively winning a game because of Harry or losing a game because of some narrative excuse the author gives to Harry because protagonist syndrome. So as not to engage in sesquipedalianism I'll put it like this, it was kind of messed up for other students to try to sell doxy poopoo as a study aid. Because it is so different from the movie what do you make of Harry's vision of Voldemort and Sirius near the end of the chapter?
2026-10-28 13:00 Hi Veggie, Surprised I was even able to get a comment in, been volunteering on the midterm elections in Texas because they're really important this time. (I hope this doesn't age terribly in about a week and Texas finally went blue) Movie Ron: hurp durp I'm going to look dumb in front of Grawp and stumble and make silly faces. Book Ron: Winning Quidditch for Gryffindor while Harry and Hermione meet Grawp in what is the first example in the books of Gryffindor not narratively winning a game because of Harry or losing a game because of some narrative excuse the author gives to Harry because protagonist syndrome. So as not to engage in sesquipedalianism I'll put it like this, it was kind of messed up for other students to try to sell doxy poopoo as a study aid. Because it is so different from the movie what do you make of Harry's vision of Voldemort and Sirius near the end of the chapter?
2026-10-30 09:00 Hi Veggie, Surprised I was even able to get a comment in, been volunteering during the midterm elections in Texas because they're really important this time. (I hope this doesn't age terribly in about a week and Texas finally goes blue like I want it to, anything but a Talarico win would be depressing) Movie Ron: hurp durp I'm going to look dumb in front of Grawp and stumble and make silly faces. Book Ron: Winning Quidditch for Gryffindor while Harry and Hermione meet Grawp without him in what is the first example in the books of Gryffindor not narratively winning or losing a game just because of Harry thanks to some narrative excuse the author gives to Harry because protagonist syndrome. (Do you think Ron will ever meet Grawp?) So as not to engage in sesquipedalianism I'll put it like this, it was kind of messed up for other students to try to sell doxy poopoo as a study aid. Because it is so different from the movie what do you make of Harry's vision of Voldemort and Sirius near the end of the chapter?
2026-10-26 05:54 Hi Veggie, Surprised I was even able to get a comment in, been volunteering in preparation for the midterm elections here. Movie Ron: hurp durp I'm going to look dumb in front of Grawp and stumble and make silly faces. Book Ron: Winning Quidditch for Gryffindor while Harry and Hermione meet Grawp without him in what is the first example in the books of Gryffindor not narratively winning or losing a game just because of Harry thanks to some narrative excuse the author gives to Harry because protagonist syndrome. (Do you think Ron will ever meet Grawp?) So as not to engage in sesquipedalianism I'll put it like this, it was kind of messed up for other students to try to sell doxy poop as a study aid.

Hi Veggie, Surprised I was even able to get a comment in, been volunteering in preparation for the midterm elections here. Movie Ron: hurp durp I'm going to look dumb in front of Grawp and stumble and make silly faces. Book Ron: Winning Quidditch for Gryffindor while Harry and Hermione meet Grawp without him in what is the first example in the books of Gryffindor not narratively winning or losing a game just because of Harry thanks to some narrative excuse the author gives to Harry because protagonist syndrome. (Do you think Ron will ever meet Grawp?) So as not to engage in sesquipedalianism I'll put it like this, it was kind of messed up for other students to try to sell doxy poop as a study aid.

Alan Michener

Hi veggie, So about the stimulants that are used to help you get better grades that unfortunately does really happen. But instead of powdered dragon claws it's actually Adderall. Its supposed to help you stay awake so you can study more I think is the theory. Or this used to happen I think in the 2010's it was pretty bad. I remember watching a law and order episode about this and they said there were certain things you can say to a doctor to get prescribed it. I was going to mention some things about snape but that was already covered so no need to go over it again. So it just dawned on me what might have actually happened with Hagrid. I think they were going to take him to Azkaban that why Hagrid was screaming "You won't take me like this Dawlish". Now while we don't know the reason I don't think there needs to be a reason because remember in book 2 Hagrid was sent to Azkaban because he was accused of something some 40 years ago (my dates might be off don't know Hagrid's age or how long ago riddle accused him). Also Deloris hates part humans remember her approving a legislation that makes it almost impossible for lupin to get a job.

Madikuma95 (edited)

Comment edits

2026-10-29 14:00 The OWL exams are fun to read about, although that's probably because I'm not the one taking them! My favorite part is when Hannah Abbott accidentally turns a ferret into a flock of flamingos! 🦩🦩🦩 McGonagall said to become an Auror, Harry needs to earn Exceeds Expectations or higher in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Charms, and Herbology, plus an Outstanding in Potions. Do you think he made the cut?
2026-10-28 03:59 I'm glad Ron has matured since GoF and isn't upset with Harry and Hermione for missing his big Quidditch win after they explained the Grawp situation. The OWL exams are fun to read about, although that's probably because I'm not the one taking them! My favorite part is when Hannah Abbott accidentally turns a ferret into a flock of flamingos! 🦩🦩🦩 McGonagall said to become an Auror, Harry needs to earn Exceeds Expectations or higher in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Charms, and Herbology, plus an Outstanding in Potions. Do you think he made the cut?

I'm glad Ron has matured since GoF and isn't upset with Harry and Hermione for missing his big Quidditch win after they explained the Grawp situation. The OWL exams are fun to read about, although that's probably because I'm not the one taking them! My favorite part is when Hannah Abbott accidentally turns a ferret into a flock of flamingos! 🦩🦩🦩 McGonagall said to become an Auror, Harry needs to earn Exceeds Expectations or higher in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Charms, and Herbology, plus an Outstanding in Potions. Do you think he made the cut?

Andrew K

Hi Veggie! Hope you’re well. No time this month to read through comments and add to the discussion other than I loved this chapter! It was comedic, fun, intense, scary - it had everything. This month has been a whirlwind of emotions - my Gran passed away (I mention this because her house was the place I first watched the Philosopher’s Stone VHS and got into Harry Potter!), and on the complete other end of the emotional ladder, I also got married!! When looking through Harry’s OWL exams, which exam do you think you would have performed best at? All the best! And I hope by the time you get to this, WWE have moved the location of Crown Jewel (not likely)

Sanji Joestar

Hi Veggie and Woozle, how're you doing? I've been waiting for this chapter, one of the biggest differences from the movies. The O.W.Ls are so pushed to the sidelines it's barely a footnote in the movie and the Fred and Georges scene quickly replaces the exam. I love how stressed out all the students are about it, especially Hermione. Just today, I had a dream I had to go take an exam and I was trying to recall Lessons and stuff. Then I woke up and remembered I'm not even in school anymore.😂 I like the idea that transforming an Owl into opera glasses is pretty high level transfiguration magic, it's a pretty compact item but with a lot of precision to it. Maybe the owl’s accute vision is a part of it? When playing H. Legacy they mentioned the common confusion between Color change charm and Grow Charm so it was fun seeing where that came from. Again, we see that Snape’s presence/absence is also a factor in Harry and Neville performing well in potions class. I'm not surprised, how can you work properly with a teacher who bullies/terrifies you. Particularly in Neville's case, that's not how you encourage someone. Umbridge is genuinely horrible. I'm honestly convinced she chose to attack Hagrid at that hour precisely to taunt Harry and remind him she's ‘in control’. She knew her schedule and was smiling after he defiantly used a Patronus in front of her. I feel awful for Hagrid and Fang, but also McGonagall. Listening to this scene was genuinely chilling. Harry trying to use Legilimency on someone else's mind to see the answers to the History exam and him getting sleepy because he can't figure it out, it's almost like his mind was particularly vulnerable to getting visions at that moment and it worked for Voldemort. How much do you think the following chapters will differ from the movies? Can't wait to hear your thoughts! Have a great day!

Ashley Evers

Ooftypoof Woozle! And Veggie 😁 I’m afraid we learn quickly that your theory about that Hermoine and/or Harry is the cause of Ron’s Quidditch confidence issues can’t be correct. He absolutely believed that Hermoine and Harry were both there watching the whole time when he was playing so well. It wasn’t a bad theory, but I would have been sad if you were right. It’s one thing for the older brothers who always give you a hard time to have a negative impact on your confidence. But if his two best friends made him feel the same way, then it would have been really tragic for Ron. If I’d been Professor Tofty, I would probably have given the students a little longer to complete their astronomy exam after that distraction 🤣 That feels like an extreme enough situation to warrant a little leeway, although it doesn’t sound like it would have helped Harry. Whenever I read that scene, I’m always glad there’s an adult witness to the whole terrible scene who is unbiased and recognizes how terrible it is. It gives me hope that there will be in world consequences, and is also a nice was for the story to reinforce for us that even someone unconnected to the main story would see these actions as horrifying.

Maddie

Hi Woozle and Veggie! I admit that back in high school I was one of those students who was duped into taking a "brain elixir" for one my finals (I'm Asian and we have concoctions for everything!). It was called essence of chicken and it was the most digusting thing I've ever tasted. At least Harry and Ron have Hermione to talk them out of it, my friends and I were just egging each other on. Harry's mind wandering during the History of Magic exams then suddenly transitioning to his dream/vision was really unnerving, but it's a good pay off from all the stressful build up. So, so looking forward to the next chapters!

Simon audsley

"she runs on blood instead of gasoline" no chance you'll know it unless you know cult brit horror comedies. Another long chapter with a lot in it but little to discuss. Though now you know why ron would opt for a stick against a giant. seeing the exams is nice to see a bit of what they have to do. We didn't get the weasley twins disturbing the exams but an altogether different disturbance. Umbridge was not messing around when she decided to dispose of hagrid bringing the heavies in with her, which in her defence she was right to do from her point of view, Hagrid sure is fighter. And we end on a cliffhanger.

Civilized_Saint (edited)

Comment edits

2026-11-02 07:00 Namaskaram ! Sorry for late long post. I love parallel of Ron ruffling hair like James under same tree. Ma'am Marchbanks who cold-shouldered Umbitch was head of Wiz. Xam Authority, resigned from Wizengamot in protest of High Inquisitor appointment Nevil acknowledging StMungo's shows quite growth. Harry's hope for atleast 1 owlpost (results) in summer shows he's still salty about last summer's abandonment. Exams starting with WLeviosa is nostalgic &Polyjuice felt like a victory lap. Harry & Nevil relaxed in potions Practical shows how toxic &pathetic Snape is. Harry trying to pull a Trelawney by telling examiner she’d died last Tue &Ron accidentally describing his examiner’s reflection- hilarious. People mindful of Hermione's temper &her snapping 1st years is hypocrisy(lol) cause she xp'd similar from Harry. Hagrid is a BEAST! Shift from day dream to reality &seeing Black is terrifying. It's tough reread knowing what'll happen. A warning- As Harry fan it'll be anxious &emotionally heavy. Just realized, their last verbal was him question Black about James :( What class u droping after Year5? Guess about trio's picks(History,Care of creature etc
2026-11-01 04:11 Namaskaram ! Sry for long post I love Ron ruffling hair like James under same tree. Marchbanks who cold-shouldered Umbitch was head of Wiz Xam Authority, resigned Wizengamot in protest of High Inquisitor. Nevil acknowledging StMungo's shows quite growth. Harry's hope for atleast 1 owlpost (results) in summer shows he's still salty about last summer's abandonment. Exams starting with WLeviosa is nostalgic &Polyjuice felt like a victory lap. Harry & Nevil relaxed in potions Practical shows how toxic &pathetic Snape is. Harry trying to pull a Trelawney by telling examiner she’d died last Tue &Ron accidentally describing his examiner’s reflection- hilarious. People mindful of Hermione's temper &her snapping 1st years is hypocrisy(lol) cause she xp'd similar from Harry. Hagrid is a BEAST! Shift from day dream to reality &seeing Black is terrifying. It's tough reread knowing what'll happen. A warning- As Harry fan it'll be anxious &emotionally heavy. Just realized, their last verbal was him question Black about James :( What class u droping after Year5? Guess about trio's picks(History,Care of creature etc

Namaskaram ! Sry for long post I love Ron ruffling hair like James under same tree. Marchbanks who cold-shouldered Umbitch was head of Wiz Xam Authority, resigned Wizengamot in protest of High Inquisitor. Nevil acknowledging StMungo's shows quite growth. Harry's hope for atleast 1 owlpost (results) in summer shows he's still salty about last summer's abandonment. Exams starting with WLeviosa is nostalgic &Polyjuice felt like a victory lap. Harry & Nevil relaxed in potions Practical shows how toxic &pathetic Snape is. Harry trying to pull a Trelawney by telling examiner she’d died last Tue &Ron accidentally describing his examiner’s reflection- hilarious. People mindful of Hermione's temper &her snapping 1st years is hypocrisy(lol) cause she xp'd similar from Harry. Hagrid is a BEAST! Shift from day dream to reality &seeing Black is terrifying. It's tough reread knowing what'll happen. A warning- As Harry fan it'll be anxious &emotionally heavy. Just realized, their last verbal was him question Black about James :( What class u droping after Year5? Guess about trio's picks(History,Care of creature etc

Garry (Not Jerry)

Wouldn’t they be doing this during a time when they don’t have lessons I.e study leave?

Garry (Not Jerry)

It’s not explicitly mentioned in the books but yes JKR has confirmed wizards and witches live longer than muggles

Garry (Not Jerry)

Say what you like about Voldemort, but he does love his puns

Garry (Not Jerry)

Gryffindor literally do not lose if Harry is playing. There has to be a something outstanding like a dementor attack for Harry to be narratively allowed to lose at quidditch

Garry (Not Jerry)

Ron actually did well even though he thought Harry and Hermione were there! Shows he actually can do it even with the pressure on him. When did they re-write the lyrics to Weasley is our King? I don’t believe they came up with it on the spot. Choir practice in the Gryffindor common room? I went to Oxford last week and visited the place where they filmed the entrance to the great Hall! It was also matriculation day for the students and there were hundreds of them renting boats and punting. It was carnage, but hilarious. 😆

Methanoutput

Hey Veggie and Woozle! I have a soft spot for Mcgonagall, i think because some of my teachers were very strict and in the beginning i hated it, but later i came to the conclusion that they might just wanted the best for me. The way she was attacked is infuriating. With Professor Marchbanks and Professor Tofty i always wonder what they do in the time between O.W.L.S? There is not a lot of other schools under the "rules" of the ministry right? I hope you and Woozle are well! Can't wait to hear your thoughts! PS: I hope you will still keep going with the books, even after what happened to Fang.

Sten4321

Or, in the next book, Harry's inexperience as a captain allowing a rogue player on the team, that knocks him out.

Jannys

Hello there, Veggie and Woozle!!! Wow, my first proper Book Club comment! (I don't count my comment on the very first Book Club episode, since that was so long ago.) I finally managed to catch up after starting back during Prisoner of Azkaban. Thoughts on the chapter — - It's always good when Ron is boasting about something, because it's such a rarity for him (and his tendency to exaggerate makes it even better). - Might this be the dumbest thing the Pink Lady has done so far? She went to sack (or arrest) Hagrid, knowing full well that there were students up in the Astronomy Tower taking their O.W.L.s and that they could see everything from up there. And she brought six more Aurors with her! - But definitely one of Hagrid's most badass moments, knocking out three Aurors without using magic and still managing to escape with Fang on his shoulders. - And what a crazy ending to the chapter! I remember actually exclaiming out loud when I read it for the first time. I'm really curious what Percy's reaction was (or would have been) when he found out what happened at Hogwarts. Especially what happened to McGonagall. Sorry if I've repeated anything that's already been said! (I'm sure I did) I hope you had a great birthday, Veggie!

Dodolulupepe

Hi Veggie! What do you think is going on regarding Lupin, Snape, and Dumbledore behind the scenes with Occlumency and everything? One of the two options Harry thought was happening (that Lupin told Snape to continue and he was ignoring, or that he didn’t tell him at all) or something else? All the ways to cheat mentioned being banned makes me very curious how proper research is like with all these ways to enhance your memory or ability to make connections or whatever else. (I mean research into new discoveries specifically.) What subjects do you think Harry, Ron, and Hermione may have scored their best on? Do you think Harry got the grades he needed in all 5 of the subjects to become an Auror? The scene with Umbridge against Hagrid and McGonagall is one of the most powerful in this book imo, just wow. Insane that Umbridge could try all that.

STAYoung

It might be a nice way to give the students a confidence boost, so they're not stressing out as much early on. Or maybe to create a baseline/control question to weed out any Trolls

STAYoung

*Spoiler Subversion*

STAYoung

I think we hear at the end of the book that The Order has specific means of communication alternative to letters, Floo Powder, anything conventional/interceptable.

STAYoung (edited)

Comment edits

2026-11-04 08:00 G'day Veg and Woo It's a shame how JK treated Cho in this book. I watched a YouTube vid last month that really put into perspective how she was written to be unlikeable and thus make room for Ginny in the future. She's dealing with trauma but readers either remember her with regards solely to her name/ethnicity, or paint her as a hysterical crybaby. Good on Neville for being more open with his parents. It might still be defensive but I hope it helps normalise it with others who don't already know. Fang was always described as a coward but here he is leaping at the wizards attacking his best friend. If wizards can't change the weather then it would have been a horrible exam if they couldn't see anything past a wall of clouds, or the Scottish rain was pouring onto their telescope lenses. I don't blame Harry for having his mind open to Voldermort at the end of the chapter. 4am when the common room cleared out after Hagrid's flight and they presumably have been up for 24 hours dealing with exams. Not a good mental state for shielding your mind, let alone sitting the most boring of all exams. I do like that him falling asleep adheres to the established rules of his visions, as opposed to feeling a disturbance in the Force in the movie as the twin's flew off.
2026-11-02 07:33 G'day Veg and Woo Fang was always described as a coward but here he is leaping at the wizards attacking his best friend. If wizards can't change the weather then it would have been a horrible exam if they couldn't see anything past a wall of clouds, or the Scottish rain was pouring onto their telescope lenses. I don't blame Harry for having his mind open to Voldermort at the end of the chapter. 4am when the common room cleared out after Hagrid's flight and they presumably had been up for 24 hours dealing with exams. Not a good mental state for shielding your mind, let alone sitting the most boring of all exams. I do like that him falling asleep adheres to the established rules of his visions, as opposed to feeling a disturbance in the Force in the movie as the twin's flew off. It's a shame how JK treated Cho in this book. I watched a YouTube vid last month that really put into perspective how she was written to be unlikeable in this book and thus make room for Ginny in the future. She's dealing with trauma but some readers remember her solely with regards to her name/ethnicity, or paint her as a hysterical crybaby.

G'day Veg and Woo Fang was always described as a coward but here he is leaping at the wizards attacking his best friend. If wizards can't change the weather then it would have been a horrible exam if they couldn't see anything past a wall of clouds, or the Scottish rain was pouring onto their telescope lenses. I don't blame Harry for having his mind open to Voldermort at the end of the chapter. 4am when the common room cleared out after Hagrid's flight and they presumably had been up for 24 hours dealing with exams. Not a good mental state for shielding your mind, let alone sitting the most boring of all exams. I do like that him falling asleep adheres to the established rules of his visions, as opposed to feeling a disturbance in the Force in the movie as the twin's flew off. It's a shame how JK treated Cho in this book. I watched a YouTube vid last month that really put into perspective how she was written to be unlikeable in this book and thus make room for Ginny in the future. She's dealing with trauma but some readers remember her solely with regards to her name/ethnicity, or paint her as a hysterical crybaby.

Florian

Maybe. But still I found it very weird. Then again, the wizarding world is very weird.

S1lm4r1l

Yes. But Harry and Veggie don't know that at this point. And on that subject I have a theory to share at the relevant chapter.

John Phillips

Is this another one of those Anti-Harry Potter essays? If so, they seem very biased and I wouldn't put much stock into them. Also, I'm getting pretty sick of the outrage against Cho's name. It's not even remotely racist.

Hawwah

A cocky teenager is one thing, a thug and a sadist is a completely diffrent thing.

Hawwah (edited)

Comment edits

2026-11-05 04:00 Harry, in his infinite wisdom, decided he didn't want to learn Occlumency, even though Severus warned him again and again that Voldemort could use his newly acquired knowledge of their mental connection against him. Lo and behold! Now Severus has been proven right! It's crazy to think how all the drama that's going to unleash could have been so easily avoided. If only Harry hadn't been so full of himself and had actually listened to Severus. But no, Harry thought he knew better than his professor. He refused to follow instructions, neglected his homework and sabotaged every single one of Sev' efforts to teach him how to close his mind against Voldemort. It was certainly a bold strategy. Now let's see if it pays off for him.
2026-11-04 00:29 Harry, in his infinite wisdom, decided he didn't want to learn Occlumency, even though Severus warned him again and again that Voldemort could use his newly acquired knowledge of their mental connection against him. Lo and behold! Now Severus has been proven right! It's crazy to think how all the drama that's going to unleash could have been so easily avoided. If only Harry hadn't been so full of himself and had actually listened to Severus. But no, Harry thought he knew better than his professor. He refused to follow instructions, neglected his homework and sabotaged every single one of Severus' efforts to teach him how to close his mind against Voldemort. It was certainly a bold strategy. Now let's see if it pays off for him.

Harry, in his infinite wisdom, decided he didn't want to learn Occlumency, even though Severus warned him again and again that Voldemort could use his newly acquired knowledge of their mental connection against him. Lo and behold! Now Severus has been proven right! It's crazy to think how all the drama that's going to unleash could have been so easily avoided. If only Harry hadn't been so full of himself and had actually listened to Severus. But no, Harry thought he knew better than his professor. He refused to follow instructions, neglected his homework and sabotaged every single one of Severus' efforts to teach him how to close his mind against Voldemort. It was certainly a bold strategy. Now let's see if it pays off for him.

Alan Michener

yeah I didn't think the name was racist either I had to read that part of the comment multiple times to make sure I was reading it correct. Reminds me of when veggie thought kingsley's name was racist.

Alan Michener

you mean the same person who stopped teaching him Occlumency? Because I think its worse to actively stop teaching someone because your feelings are hurt during the middle of a war but that's just me. Especially if that person has yet to learn the material.

STAYoung

It was a neutral video in my opinion John, or made by a fan, and even if it was anti-HP the points can still be valid. It covered book and movie changes, Cho's character from book 3 to 5, and how JK sucks at writing romance. Instead of being able to write Cho and Harry's relationship into just being incompatible, she dragged Cho through the mud to make us hate someone is not in a good place.

STAYoung

JK has kind of a lazy track record with names Alan but they are children's books so it shouldn't be held to that high of a standard. The black dog man is named Sirius Black, the wolf man is Remus Lupin (Romulus Canus must have been taken), Luna Lovegood is the spacey hippy, and surnames often alude to their careers like with Shacklebolt or can be more easily associated to their ethnicity like with Shacklebolt. I guess the point of that video proves that even here the Cho naming discourse overshadows how Harry laughs at his ex always moping even after Hermione giving context during the Emotional Range of a Teaspoon scene.

Hawwah (edited)

Comment edits

2026-11-05 04:00 Come on, sir, this is very disingenuous. First of all, it was entirely Harry's fault Severus stopped their lessons. What Harry did in chapter 28 was disgusting and unforgivable and Severus had every right to kick him out of his office. I would also like to point out Severus was under no obligation to teach Harry Occlumency to begin with. He did it just out of goodwill. He did Harry a favor by giving him private lessons in his free time, free of charge, and Harry took advantage of it in the most vile and ungrateful way. Second of all, Harry sabotaged the Occlumency lesson from the beginning. He refused to follow Severus' instructions, put no effort during their lessons, didn't do any of the exercises Severus assigned him and actually did the exact opposite - instead of clearing his mind he actively tried to open his mind more so he would continue getting those weird dreams (which he already knew were not really dreams but peeks into Voldemort's mind). Harry was determined not to learn Occlumency. So he didn't. Even if chapter 28 had not happened, it wouldn't have changed the course of events. Harry would have continued wasting Severus' time until the OWLs, then he would have gotten the vision just like in the original timeline and everything would have unfolded exactly the same. The Occumency fiasco was entirely Harry's fault.
2026-11-04 03:26 Come on, sir, this is very disingenuous. First of all, it was entirely Harry's fault Severus stopped their lessons. What Harry did in chapter 28 was disgusting and unforgivable and Severus had every right to kick him out of his office. I would also like to point out Severus was under no obligation to teach Harry Occlumency to begin with. He did it just out of goodwill. He did Harry a favor by giving him private lessons in his free time, free of charge, and Harry took advantage of it in the most vile and ungrateful way. Second of all, Harry sabotaged the Occlumency lessons from the beginning. He refused to follow Severus' instructions, put no effort during their lessons, didn't do any of the exercises Severus assigned him and actually did the exact opposite - instead of clearing his mind he actively tried to open his mind more so he would continue getting those weird dreams (which he already knew were not really dreams but peeks into Voldemort's mind). Harry was determined not to learn Occlumency. So he didn't. Even if chapter 28 had not happened, it wouldn't have changed the course of events. Harry would have continued wasting Severus' time until the OWLs, then he would have gotten the vision just like in the original timeline and everything would have unfolded exactly the same. The Occumency fiasco was entirely Harry's fault.

Come on, sir, this is very disingenuous. First of all, it was entirely Harry's fault Severus stopped their lessons. What Harry did in chapter 28 was disgusting and unforgivable and Severus had every right to kick him out of his office. I would also like to point out Severus was under no obligation to teach Harry Occlumency to begin with. He did it just out of goodwill. He did Harry a favor by giving him private lessons in his free time, free of charge, and Harry took advantage of it in the most vile and ungrateful way. Second of all, Harry sabotaged the Occlumency lessons from the beginning. He refused to follow Severus' instructions, put no effort during their lessons, didn't do any of the exercises Severus assigned him and actually did the exact opposite - instead of clearing his mind he actively tried to open his mind more so he would continue getting those weird dreams (which he already knew were not really dreams but peeks into Voldemort's mind). Harry was determined not to learn Occlumency. So he didn't. Even if chapter 28 had not happened, it wouldn't have changed the course of events. Harry would have continued wasting Severus' time until the OWLs, then he would have gotten the vision just like in the original timeline and everything would have unfolded exactly the same. The Occumency fiasco was entirely Harry's fault.

John Phillips

Even if you think Cho was treated unfairly (which I don't), I still find the outrage against her name (and the other names you mentioned) to be disingenuous and performative. There's good reasons to dislike JKR as a person but making up things such as her supposedly being racist for the names is not helping in the slightest. Also, Ginny is treated far more unfairly by the fandom than Cho is.

STAYoung

Both Harry and Severus are at fault: Harry for being a nosy git regarding the Pensive and dream curiosity and Snape for not acting as the adult despite knowing the severity of his mission. Harry has only seen the good from sharing a connection with Voldermort, with saving Mr Weasly's life being the key point, and now he has the chance to save his godfather. It's consistent for his character that he has the saviour complex but in this moment he doesn't know that false dreams could be a thing. To my knowledge Severus only said that the Dark Lord could gain access to Harry's thoughts and feelings, like the reverse of what Harry had been doing, and vaguely answered "he might" to Harry's question about making him do things. He never mentioned making Harry see fake scenarios and Harry wouldn't have thought of that as every vision or memory he accessed was real. Snape on the other hand never changed his teaching method despite being the expert and one-on-one classes being the perfect place to do it. I've struggled to learn stuff that seemed rudimentary to my instructor and kept failing a core aspect until she changed tactics and gave me a new perspective, which worked. Harry wasn't ecstatic to learn Occulmency but he also didn't want to learn Divination or History of Magic, or Potions because of Snape. In all of those classes he did the homework even if it was a poor job but it was Severus that acted like a child and cancelled the private lessons. If Harry sabotaged Snape's efforts to teach him despite not having any visions for 6 weeks after being psychically assaulted by Severus; then Snape sabotaged Harry's efforts by weakening his defenses after every class, leading Harry further into the Department of Mysteries than he had ever gone before during one of the lessons, and achieving only the bare minimum of progress after over two months of classes with no adaptation to his technique. Also can't forget that Harry gets an Exceeds Expectations in his Potions OWL despite his best ever attempt in Snape's classes, while Severus is ignoring him of course, just looking like it would barely scrape an E. Almost like Harry isn't a bad student but Snape is biased against him. I also mention in my comment that I don't blame him for having an open mind at that point. He was running on 3 hours sleep after an emotional night during the test for most boring subject at the school, the day after a morning Astronomy exam, Divination afternoon practical, 11pm Astronomy session, and still studying in the breaks. Mental exhaustion after close to 24 hours awake the previous day is understandable

STAYoung

It's all a matter of opinion which is fine. I'm back on my PC so can link the video here and you can make your mind up about it - https://youtu.be/qh5FEcFmHaQ My main issue wasn't the name but her being written to become a future toxic ex. It's not too important to make the distinction crystal clear but if you had any advice on how I could edit my comment to seem less focused on the Cho name debate then I'd be happy to know. Both Ginny and Cho can be treated unfairly by the fandom but Ginny is still revered by fans of the books and detractors are told to ignore the movie version. Movie Cho gets labelled a traitor in the movies to then be forgotten about, Book Cho spirals into a mental health nightmare to end up dating Ginny's ex, and 90% of the discussion about her is about a slam poetry video that was taken down by the author because they she didn't want to contribute to her being a stereotype.

STAYoung

Corrections to your reply to Alan. Severus WAS under obligation to teach Harry Occlumency and didn't do it out of goodwill. - "I assure you I did not beg for the job" "I am here on Dumbledore's orders" "The Headmaster has asked me to teach you Occlumency" "You do know why I am giving up my evenings to this tedious job"". He may have had a right to kick Harry out of his office but he also had an obligation to Dumbledore to continue the lessons. Praising him for doing it free of charge is also disingenuous as the entire education system of Hogwarts is free of charge (save spellbooks, wands, and standard materials to be used over years). Snape never charged any students for potion ingredients yes but Flitwick didn't either for any of the objects they charmed, McGonagall waived her animal procurement fees, Madam Hooch didn't have a sickle per minute rate for flight time for first years, and Sprout chose not to ban any second year students who didn't have a baby mandrake on standby. What were Snape's instructions? Clear your mind and empty it of emotion. Did belittling him work? No. Did he access Harry's memories to see Cedric's blank eyes staring at him, on top of other traumatic events, and empathise that Harry might have strong emotional responses to things like a corpse? No. Did Snape prove he couldn't control his emotions when someone accessed his thoughts (protego and pensive)? Yes. Did Lupin keep sending new bogart-dementors at Harry every ten seconds after he failed to produce a sufficiently happy memory? No. On the topic of Harry being determined not to learn Occlumency. - "Harry would have given a great deal to be making as much progress at Occlumency as Neville was making during the DA meetings. Harry's sessions with Snape, which had started badly enough, were not improving. On the contrary, Harry felt he was getting worse with every lesson." Please tell me the different ways Snape taught on how to close the mind and empty it of emotion before diving into the brain assaults. You are right that this chapter would have ended the same even if Harry hadn't been thrown out of Snape's office. He would still have been dead tired during the exam, meaning he would still be vulnerable, and Snape wouldn't have provided any different advice on shielding your mind in those 6 weeks as he didn't change tactics after 2 months of no progress.

Hawwah

STAYoung, I don't think you understand what "free of charge" means. The professors at Hogwarts do NOT teach free of charge. They are employees of the school. They teach students their respective subjects and receive salary for that. Teaching is their job. Getting paid is the key difference between a job and volunteer work. Severus is the professor of Potions. His job is to teach Potions and he gets paid for teaching Potions. He is not an Occlumency professor. It's not a part of his job to teach Occlumency and he's not getting paid for teaching Occlumency. Teaching Potions is his job. Teaching Harry Occlumency is volunteer work he does in his free time. Free of charge. * Regarding your other argument. Dumbledore had no authority to order Severus to teach Harry Occlumency because teaching Occlumency is not a part of Severus' job description. Dumbledore asked Severus to teach Harry Occlumency. Asked, not ordered. Severus could have (and should have) told him no, but he chose not to. That's Severus' biggest weakness. He's too selfless for his own good and people like Dumbledore take advantage of it.

emmainkeri

At the start of this book I commented that book 5 has always been "MY" book, and told myself I would leave a comment on every other book review. So here I am, 30 chapters later! Hello! I don't have my notes with me and I see you're already recording, so I'm just going to again say, that your book reviews mean a LOT to me Veggie, and I appreciate every person that takes part in this book club. Life is busy but amazing and full of love right now!! Despite all my personal fears, I went back to school this August and I now get to do things I'm passionate about and genuinely enjoy (it's all media related). I just did my first two live radio shows last week!! 🫶 Sending love to everyone listening! I'll try to be back before we finish book 5 !!!

emmainkeri

Do we know whether he gets paid for teaching Occlumency or not? I seriously doubt Dumbledore isn't paying him for teaching.